You know you might be on the media team if...
preparation for missions looks like this.
To all who may be following us, either on facebook, on our blog, or via email: WELCOME! We deeply appreciate all of the work, finances, and prayer that has gone into getting us this far. That said, we're finally getting ready to go on the field and will be needing your support yet again as we travel and seek out the stories that the Lord would have for us to share.
Let me take a moment to share a little bit of history/vison with you all :)
I'm graduating in 11 days with a degree in Mass Media Communication, emphasis in Multimedia Production, and an abandoned degree in Government/Prelaw. They say that the average number of times that a college student changes their degree is somewhere around 3 - I jumped the gun and changed my intended majors from engineering/music to media/government the summer before I came to ORU. While I'd like to say that my own prescience enabled me to be where I am today, I can only stand in awe of the work that the Lord has done in my own life to bring me here. Thanks to prayer, some Jesus-heart-work, and a lot of Godly counsel, I was in the right place at the right time with the right skill set when ORU Outreach began forming its first media missions team last year. (that's last year's team below)
Since it would take pages to tell of the experiences we had in preparation alone, I will forego the preamble and get right to the point. Last year's trip solidified in my own heart and mind the place that media has in the Kingdom of God and helped me to realize that, far deeper than the sensory overload and visual stimulus, media ministry is intercession. It's not just communication for communication's sake; it is not merely images of desperation designed to induce a financial response; media missions is becoming the bridge between worlds providing a vehicle through which the Lord can move.That being said, just like there is no shortcut to living the Christian life, there is no shortcut to producing "Christian" media. We cannot simply include the name of Christ and mention His gospel, hoping that somehow someone will respond. Our work reflects our Savior, and therefore we work with excellence; our salvation encompasses all areas of life, and therefore the stories we tell may range from the miraculous to the mundane.
We are different, though. We carry a hope that gives significance to every action and promises that justice and mercy are not mutually exclusive. We understand that redemption is offered to every person, nation, and situation on earth. We realize that we are not alone in this world and that the Love of our Father can overcome every pain and tragedy that could ever be known.
That is why we are different; that is why our stories are different; that is why we go.
Please continue to pray for the entire team as we finish classes this week, finals the next, and then have a week of training before leaving for our respective destinations. Mandy and I will be flying to Kenya on May 10 and visiting the two teams (Dominion Farms, Disciples of Mercy) there, while Adam and Mike will be leaving a day earlier and staying with teams Guatemala and Belize.
Love you all so much - can't wait to share our stories with you!
